Best place to live with responsible pet owners? (Portland, Eugene: condos, home)

[TecWmn]

I have lived in a few towns (Boulder, CO, Port Townsend, WA, Chicago, IL) where people do not adhere to leash laws because they believe that 'dogs should run free' or under the guise that their dog is under 'voice command' when they have to call the animal 20 times and it still doesn't come.

I have only found a handful of owners whose dogs are truly under voice command and I commend them. That is dedication to your animal and hard work.

It is the people who think that their dog can just run up on people, children or other dogs and get offended if you have a problem with that, which I very much do. If they are in a designated 'off-leash' area then I have no problem, but I find this in 'leash-law' areas really angering. These people I have a serious problem with and would like to avoid.

I always walk my dog on-leash, pick-up her poop and expect good behavior at all times (sitting when she meets someone, she is part Basenji so barking isn't a problem, she has never jumped on people, she does animal service work with the elderly and is well trained).

However, it is a little nerve-racking to have an unknown animal running at you and your dog when the owner isn't right there. Not to mention, I am a single female and my dog is also protective of me as I want her to be. So when an off-leash dog comes running at me or tackles\jumps on my dog or actually attacks me (like in Port Townsend) my dog gets mean (obviously, I stop her as quickly as I can).

But who wants to deal with that when you are just out for a nice relaxing walk? I don't need that kind of stress and there is no talking to those kinds of dog owners - they don't get it and never will.

My dog, MiAmor, is my family. Its me and her all the way! I am a dog LOVER, not just a dog owner. However, just because you are a dog lover doesn't give you the right to let your dog misbehave in public. I know there are always going to be some irresponsible jerk-owners, but I would prefer that be the exception and not the rule.

I understand that having a dog is a serious responsibility and would like to live among other pet lovers that share these views.

Suggestions?

I work from home (IT writer) so my only criteria is high-speed internet and maybe some 30+ singles in the area.

Thank you kindly for taking the time to read and possibly respond to my post.

[Silverfall]

There are irresponsible pet owners all over the US. There is no such place where every dog owner trains their dog well.

If you are looking for a place where everyone follows the rules, then I can't think of a single city here in the Salem Metro area that will work for you.

Otherwise Portland and Eugene might meet your singles criteria.

[TecWmn]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

There are irresponsible pet owners all over the US. There is no such place where every dog owner trains their dog well.

If you are looking for a place where everyone follows the rules, then I can't think of a single city here in the Salem Metro area that will work for you.

Otherwise Portland and Eugene might meet your singles criteria.

I hear you. I have no grand delusions of finding a place where every dog is well-trained and every owner is responsible. However, in the previous places I lived, more of the community sided with the 'off-leash\free roaming' mentality. I am looking for a lean the other way.....thank you for the suggestions, I appreciate that.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by TecWmn

I hear you. I have no grand delusions of finding a place where every dog is well-trained and every owner is responsible. However, in the previous places I lived, more of the community sided with the 'off-leash\free roaming' mentality. I am looking for a lean the other way.....thank you for the suggestions, I appreciate that.

You know...many years ago, when I lived in Portland there was a man who was arrested for poisoning meat and killing dogs.

He was so frustrated with all of the people that let their dogs roam off leash that he poisoned meat and placed it in bushes in a local park. Dogs off leash would of course smell the meat and then eat it. Several died.

I can tell you on hiking trails, at the beach, in rivers, dogs are off leash all of the time. I can also tell you that I, as a dog owner, do this as well. If there isn't anyone else around, I let my dog off leash when we are at a river, or hiking. As soon as I see someone, I call him back and he is on leash. I'd love to tell you his is under voice command, but he is only 2 and his impulses get the best of him sometimes. I also agree that the 5th call back doesn't count as voice command.

I let him "be free" when I can, but he is a dog and I follow the rules when it impacts other people. I think most dog owners are similar out here, in my experience. We have wonderful rivers and hiking to take advantage of with our pets and so I think many dog lovers like to let their pets off leash and enjoy the outdoors with us.

I can only speak for in my neighborhood, but we have many dogs and I don't think I have ever seen dogs off leash (except at the park, which is not off leash, but there is a huge area great for throwing balls which is WELL AWAY from every thing else and the park is not well used by people). Kinda goes back to the if there is no one around thing.

[TecWmn]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

You know...many years ago, when I lived in Portland there was a man who was arrested for poisoning meat and killing dogs.

He was so frustrated with all of the people that let their dogs roam off leash that he poisoned meat and placed it in bushes in a local park. Dogs off leash would of course smell the meat and then eat it. Several died.

I can tell you on hiking trails, at the beach, in rivers, dogs are off leash all of the time. I can also tell you that I, as a dog owner, do this as well. If there isn't anyone else around, I let my dog off leash when we are at a river, or hiking. As soon as I see someone, I call him back and he is on leash. I'd love to tell you his is under voice command, but he is only 2 and his impulses get the best of him sometimes. I also agree that the 5th call back doesn't count as voice command.

I let him "be free" when I can, but he is a dog and I follow the rules when it impacts other people. I think most dog owners are similar out here, in my experience. We have wonderful rivers and hiking to take advantage of with our pets and so I think many dog lovers like to let their pets off leash and enjoy the outdoors with us.

I can only speak for in my neighborhood, but we have many dogs and I don't think I have ever seen dogs off leash (except at the park, which is not off leash, but there is a huge area great for throwing balls which is WELL AWAY from every thing else and the park is not well used by people). Kinda goes back to the if there is no one around thing.

That is horrible! My brother's dog was poisoned in that manner as well in Wisconsin. What kind of twisted person could do that? That is disgusting.

I do animal rescue and have for years. My dog is a rescue and I feel pretty strongly that anyone who abuses animals should be shot. That might sound harsh, but when you see some of the dogs used for dog fighting and bait in dog fighting or just the general cruelty that people can inflict upon animals....yes, a bullet sounds fair to me.

From your posting, it sounds like you are responsible with your animal when in public and concious of others. I think that you hit the nail on the head when you said 'I follow the rules when it impacts other people'.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I read an article in The Oregonian about the high amount of pit bulls in condos around Portland. People just let them run the halls and grounds, do their poopy thing and wait for them to return. Several people have been biten.

Nope. I agree that there are no good areas where there arfe responsible pet owners.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by BLAZER PROPHET

I read an article in The Oregonian about the high amount of pit bulls in condos around Portland. People just let them run the halls and grounds, do their poopy thing and wait for them to return. Several people have been biten.

Nope. I agree that there are no good areas where there arfe responsible pet owners.

You know the new condos that are being built down here have breed requirements. You can't have bit pulls in them as well as a couple of other breeds.

[Metlakatla]

You know...many years ago, when I lived in Portland there was a man who was arrested for poisoning meat and killing dogs.

I recall that...the guy was a sociopath.

[mamh]

Oh boy I just see worse than stars when people don't clean up after their dogs and just let them run.we have leash laws and a lot of people who are afraid of dogs ..They seem to think rules are other people ...!
enough said
mom to two cockers

[Leisesturm]

We go hiking in Forest Park and have discovered that only about 2% of dog owners obey the leash laws. Most dogs do not obey voice commands and about the best we can say is that we have never been bitten. Dog people just don't seem to get that a non-dog person will not appreciate being startled by an 85lb or even larger animal that comes bounding down the trail at them. The presence or not of 'other people' changes by the second on a trail and it is way too late by the time the other person is spotted. I've never seen as many dog lovers in one place as I have since moving to PDX and it just doesn't do to get too riled about the total lack of enforcement of laws pertaining to dogs. I've seen people bring dogs on MAX that an eight year old could ride. The rules of our association say that neighbors must leash their dogs in the common areas but there is zero enforcement. Since every other unit in the association has at least two dogs (with the exception of ours) most members 'walk' their dogs by opening the front door and then after the dogs return they go out looking for stuff with a plastic bag. Do you think they always find it all? Even if they actually pick it up, in the summer children play in that grass! From what I see on the roads, drivers don't have much tolerance for cyclists that "don't obey the rules", they get on their horns at every instance of a cyclist breaking the rules whether it affects them or not. Pedestrians in PDX are extremely law abiding and present no challenge to drivers assumed ownership of the streets. Drivers are also, likewise very law abiding. However since most of them, possibly as much as 80% of them are dog owners and the vast majority of them ignore dog laws I wonder out loud sometimes what gives them the emotional ammunition to be so over the top when it comes to cyclists. I wasn't going to start this thread even though dog owners are one of my PDX pet peeves but I find myself unable to resist chiming in. I tried.

H